Costco now is selling Ozempic and Wegovy at discounted prices, a move that expands access to the popular weight-loss drugs.
Costco members with prescriptions can purchase the drugs out-of-pocket for $499 per month, a cost that is well below list prices. For members with health insurance, the price will depend on their plans. The sticker price for Ozempic is about $1,000; Wegovy costs $1,350.
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Novo Nordisk, the Danish company that manufacturers Ozempic and Wegovy, already offers the drugs at $499 on its website, and also at CVS and Walmart.
“We want to make sure we offer the real, authentic Wegovy and Ozempic where patients seek care,” David Moore, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk’s U.S. Operations, told NBC News on Friday. “We know that Costco is a trusted brand.
“Those patients that have coverage will receive the medicine on average for $25 a month,” Moore added. “But that doesn’t cover everyone, so we wanted to make sure there’s a self-pay option available as well.”
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said Monday that Costo’s executive members and customers with a Costco Citibank Visa credit card also will receive a cash back reward and an additional 2% discount when purchasing the drugs.
Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ozempic and Wegovy are GLP-1 drugs, a classification that also includes Zepbound, a medication made by Eli Lilly. They help people lose weight by mimicking a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1 that slows digestion, regulates blood sugar and signals fullness to the brain.
Ozempic was approved as a diabetes drug; Wegovy and Zepbound were approved to treat obesity. But they have been used off label to help people lose weight. Studies also have suggested they may have additional health benefits, including reducing risk of heart disease, dementia and addiction to alcohol or nicotine.
The demand for the drugs has skyrocketed in recent years ago. A 2024 survey found 1 in 8 adults said they have used a GLP-1 drugs. With so many people using the drugs, insurers say they have struggled to cover the costs, because the drugs must be taken indefinitely to maintain weight loss and other health benefits.
The Trump administration plans to roll out a five-year, experimental program that would allow state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D plans to cover GLP-1 agonists for weight loss. Some state Medicaid programs, including those in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, cover the drugs for obesity, and Medicare covers them for diabetes.